MEDIA RELEASE: Secretary Pate’s Poll Worker Recruitment Initiative Recognized by Secretaries of State Across the Nation with IDEAS Award

DES MOINES – Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate’s poll worker recruitment initiative was nationally recognized last week by the National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) as the recipient of the NASS IDEAS Award. Established in 2011, the NASS IDEAS (Innovation, Dedication, Excellence & Achievement in Service) Award recognizes significant state contributions to the mission of NASS. The award recipient is chosen by voting members of NASS, which include Secretaries of State and Lieutenant Governors.

The project, “Recruiting the Next Generation of Poll Workers,” outlines the state’s efforts to build a bench of poll workers that Iowans can trust. The Iowa Secretary of State’s office launched a dedicated poll worker recruitment site, Pollworker.Iowa.Gov in 2020 in response to potential poll worker shortages resulting from COVID and older generations of poll workers reaching retirement age. To date, the site and its corresponding initiatives have helped identify more than 21,000 poll workers across the state.

“I am thrilled that my colleagues at NASS recognize the important role poll workers play in election integrity. Poll workers are our secret weapon to keeping Iowa elections safe and secure,” said Secretary Pate. “This recruitment initiative has helped us build the bench of trusted local election workers and reinforce with Iowans that we have their backs in protecting their vote. I hope to see my colleagues join us in implementing efforts to recruit the next generation of poll workers in their own states.”

In addition to a dedicated poll worker website, Secretary Pate has worked extensively with local Iowa media organizations and utilized social media efforts to reach Iowans and talk about the critical role poll workers play in the elections process. Since 2020, the program has evolved to involve targeted social media recruitment in conjunction with local county auditors and a video storytelling campaign sharing the diverse stories of real Iowa poll workers, which are featured on the Pollworker.Iowa.Gov home page.

Secretary Pate was also appointed to serve on the 2024-2025 NASS Business Services Committee as Co-Chair and will continue to serve as a NASS representative with the Council of State Governments. Secretary Pate served as president of NASS in 2019-2020.

A photo of NASS Past-President Scott Schwab (Kansas) and Secretary Pate at the award ceremony is available for your use here.

A photo of Secretary Pate presenting at NASS is available for your use here.

Please credit photo use to Philip Smith, 1LPhoto.

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